Title: Apotheosis
Series: sequel to Nexus
Author: Akuni
Genre: Drama/Romance
Rating: M for 'Much Smut'
Pairing: Renji/Ichigo
Spoilers: read through Soul Society & Arrancar Arcs
Summary: One year after Nexus, Ichigo and Renji face personal challenges and a new crisis that threatens everyone.
Word Count: 65,500ish
Warnings: There is more talk about the war with Aizen that I wrote around in Nexus. There are mentions of character deaths during the war, but they're mostly minor. Should also be noted that there's some definite Shuuhei/Yumichika subtext, and off camera Hitsugaya/Hinamori.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, I'm just borrowing it for a while.
Distribution: Also posted to my LJ. Please ask if you want to share it :)

Dedication: To my wonderful beta Shelagh, for putting up with my writing process and for drawing the amazing art that goes with my stories. She keeps me on the path of reality when my feet try to take me down sugar plum lane. And for Sara, our partner in fangirling and BL love, for helping us stay silly and sane. And I suppose even for my husband, who has had to endure my mental love affair with Renji, my extended hours on my laptop writing this beast, and my ups and downs while writing it. One night we got drunk and he let me read all my fics out loud to him in one night (yes, even all of Nexus) - my voice was ruined the next day, but we had a great laugh. He laughed in all the right places, and wouldn't let me chicken out and stop reading at the sexy bits. :)

And as always, to all my fellow Renji/Ichigo fangirls/guys out there. We know it's impossible, we know it's silly, and we know it's damned hot!

A/N: I said Nexus ate my life - I was wrong. So very wrong. The idea for Apotheosis came to me while I was still writing Nexus, and I scribbled down a couple pages of notes as I went along. Nexus was posted at the end of August, and it's now December. I've only taken a handful of days off writing this story - I even took my notebook to work and scribbled lines and scenes as they came to me. This is definitely an obsession. And I loved every minute of it. I hope you all do, too.

Chapter 13 - Fortification

"'Preciate this, Shuuhei," Ichigo thanked the shinigami who'd led him to the shop later that afternoon after Unohana had released him from the infirmary following his session with Kenpachi.

"No problem. You want me to stay?" Shuuhei offered. "It might be a bit of a shock, since you don't remember the last one."

Ichigo considered it, then shook his head. "Nah. Can't be any worse'n having my shoulders ripped apart by that torture device Renji calls a zanpakutou."

Shuuhei chuckled. "If you say so. In the heat of battle is one thing, but just sitting there? Try not to throw up on the guy." He left with another chuckle and a wave.

Throw up? Ichigo really didn't remember being in this place before, not even a little. He entered the shop with a mental shrug. How bad could it be?

§

-Later-

"Ow, sonuva…!"

"Hehe, that's what you said last time, too."

§

-Even later-

"Whoa…"

"You all right there, son?"

"Yeah 'm fine, just a li'l dizzy."

"Mm, don't worry, that happens pretty often. If you need to throw up there's—"

"I am not gonna throw up."

§

-And later still-

"There, you're done."

Ichigo finally looked at the intricate design encircling his forearm. It was exactly the same as the sketch, exactly the same as the image in his head that the nue had manifested in his subconscious landscape.

"It's perfect," Ichigo marvelled, twisting his arm to get a better look at the whole thing. Excitement fluttered in his stomach. Can't wait to show him.

"Remember what I told you about taking care of it," the man cautioned as he wrapped a light bandage around the new tattoo. "And try not to get it cut up before it has a chance to heal."

Ichigo grinned. "Thanks. I'll do my best not to get any disfiguring injuries in the next few days, but that's about the best I can promise."

The man waved him away, shaking his head and muttering under his breath about reckless heroes, but he was smiling to himself the entire time.

§

Ichigo shook his sleeve down as far as it would go, but he couldn't cover the bandage around his arm. He hoped no one would think much of it – shinigami walked around with bandages more often than not these days, especially those who were in battle as often as he was.

Guess that's what we 'reckless heroes' do best – get cut up. He grinned to himself.

As he approached the 5th Division headquarters, an alarm he hadn't heard before began to chime. There was no nervous energy spike, and no shinigami came boiling out of the buildings in a panic, so he hoped it wasn't anything too serious.

Hope that's not somethin' I gotta worry about. Ichigo tried to contain his excitement, but he thought he was probably failing miserably. He felt his own energy sparkling as he approached his destination.

The door to Renji's office opened under his hand. "Good timin', Ichigo. Let's go." Renji stepped into the hall, cursing as his cloak caught on a splinter on the door frame.

"Where are we going?" Ichigo asked as Renji bent to unhook himself.

"Hear that? It's for a senior officers' meeting." Renji straightened and turned back to face him.

"Is it serious? No one seems to be panicking or even in a hurry..."

Renji shrugged one shoulder uncertainly. "Probably nothin' urgent, but it's got t' be somethin' important – they don't often call in all the captains an' lieutenants at once." He reached to turn Ichigo around by the arm, but stopped abruptly when he noticed the bandage. "What… when'd ya get hurt? I didn't think the 3rd was on patrol today?"

"Ah, I'm not hurt," he hedged, pushing down the elation that threatened to rise up. He didn't really want to do this in the hallway with an alarm ringing.

Renji frowned. "Ichigo, if you're not hurt, why've ya got a bandage on your arm? An' why's your reiatsu all…tingly?"

Ichigo glanced around, then made a quick decision. He pushed Renji back into his office and closed the door behind them. The sound of the alarm was muffled but still faintly audible for a few more seconds before it stopped.

"Do we have a few minutes?" Ichigo asked the startled shinigami.

"Yeah, we got time, that was only the first call." Renji looked at him curiously. "What's goin' on?" He pointed to the bandage on Ichigo's arm. "What's this?"

Ichigo took a breath, then let it out slowly as he relaxed the controls on his dancing reiatsu. He began unwrapping the bandage as Renji's energy inevitably responded, filling the room with warmth and excitement.

"We live with a lotta change these days. Sometimes it's hard to deal with. I wanted to do somethin'… somethin' permanent, somethin', um, well obvious isn't the right word, but maybe you'll know what I mean when ya see it." Ichigo pulled off the last layer and extended his arm to his lover.

Renji's eyes went very wide; trembling hands reached out, one hand grasping his lightly, one finger carefully tracing the skin beside the intricate tattoo encircling Ichigo's forearm.

The triple band began about three centimetres above Ichigo's right wrist, and was just over three centimetres wide. Two lines of linked zigzags bordered a wider central pattern of interlocked squared lines; the whole thing repeated around his arm. The bold patterns were very familiar, and very obviously matched the ones covering so much of Renji's skin.

"Ichigo, this is…" Renji breathed. A wide smile grew across his face as the multiple meanings of the gesture became clear. Ichigo could feel the stunned delight echoing through their meshed reiatsu.

Ichigo smiled back. "I've got your mark on me now. It's not goin' away, ever." He tightened his fingers around the hand still lingering under his and pulled Renji in close. "Some things really are forever," he explained. "This's just a reminder."

"How did ya…" Renji was still clearly at a loss for words.

"I talked to Zangetsu about it, and I asked Zabimaru if—"

Renji blinked. "Ya… asked Zabimaru?"

"Zangetsu helped. I wanted to be sure, yanno. They're involved, too, so it wouldn't be right not to ask."

"Partners, all 'round," Renji agreed. He looked down again at the dark lines on Ichigo's arm. "Everyone's gonna see this," he said, his smile growing. "No way your sleeve'll hide it."

Ichigo leaned his head against Renji's, drawing his lover's eyes back up to his own. "That's part of the point."

The hand Renji raised to Ichigo's cheek was still shaking, but his grip was as firm as Ichigo's on his waist as they pressed their lips together. Their energies flared together for a moment before they hastily restrained their reactions.

Renji pulled him into a crushing embrace. "Love it," he spoke against Ichigo's shoulder. "I—"

The alert began to sound again. Renji swore softly under his breath. "That one means we got t' get goin'." His reluctance was evident as they separated.

"Help me put this back on, first." Ichigo held out the bandage, and together they rewrapped it securely.

"Ok, now we can go."

As they headed for the meeting, Ichigo found it more difficult than usual to hold back his reiatsu. The sparkling he'd felt – that Renji had said was tingly – hadn't diminished. On top of that, he could feel the matching excitement in his lover's energy as well, feeding back to him through their light link.

"Quit ticklin' me," Renji muttered, lips twitching.

"I'm not," Ichigo fought a grin of his own. "Not on purpose, anyway… I can't help it."

"Well do somethin' 'bout it!" Renji whispered urgently, his voice cracking as he choked off what sounded suspiciously like a giggle. "We got t' stand next t' each other for this thing like at those captains' meetin's, an' if ya make me laugh while they're talkin' I swear I'm takin' ya down with me."

Ichigo bit back his own laughter and tried to focus on restoring some semblance of control to his projecting reiatsu.

"Ichigo!" Renji's hiss ended in a hiccup of laughter and he doubled over with his hand over his mouth.

"I'm tryin'... 's hard when your energy's givin' me feedback, too." Ichigo elbowed the silently snickering shinigami in the ribs. "Lock it down, will ya?" He was still struggling to keep his own mirth and excitement from erupting.

"Ok, ok. It ain't easy for me, either, with your energy crawlin' all over me."

They were right outside the door now, and they could sense most of the others had already assembled. With a supreme effort, they managed to compose themselves enough to lessen the spiritual feedback, which helped them bring the rest under control.

Once they were calmed, they entered and took their places. The arrangement was much the same as in the captains' meetings, with the lieutenants to the left of their captains, which – as Renji had noted – put them side by side again. Rukia and Kira were already there; Rukia gave them a suspicious look but said nothing as they stood silently with the others waiting for Yamamoto to arrive.

§

"The news is not what we had hoped." The old man swept his gaze across the room, marking every one of them with his attention. "It has been determined that the changes in Hueco Mundo cannot be reversed."

Troubled silence met this revelation.

"Furthermore…" Ichigo exchanged an apprehensive glance with Renji as Yamamoto continued – there was more? "…it appears that attempting any further changes would be unadvisable. There is no way to predict how any more interference will manifest due to the unstable nature of the area, which as you all know has become more sensitive to change due to the alterations made during the war. There's a good chance any efforts on our part would just make the situation worse."

This time it was Ukitake who had the nerve to break the silence. "Genryuusai-dono… sensei… what does this mean?"

Resignation weighed heavily in the room as the old man succinctly delivered the bottom line. "This is the new state of things in Soul Society. We must now prepare ourselves to meet this challenge."

§

Ichigo didn't know what to think. He didn't understand much of the rather lengthy technical explanation given by the member of the Research and Development Institute, so he stopped paying attention and turned the revelations over in his mind. When Renji nudged him with an elbow at the end of the meeting, Ichigo didn't feel at all guilty – most of the others were similarly lost in their own thoughts.

"Yeah, ok. 5th is open," Renji replied to something Shuuhei had just said. He nodded across the room at Iba as well, before turning back to Ichigo.

"C'mon, let's go. If we hurry, we'll get there before the rest of 'em so we can talk 'bout this first ourselves." His face remained smooth, but Ichigo could see the concern in his lover's eyes – he could obviously feel the unease that was growing in Ichigo's gut.

"Right."

Ichigo was relieved once they were safely in Renji's private office; he sat on the edge of Renji's desk as the shinigami locked the door behind them. He didn't know how to explain his unsettled feeling, but he knew he owed it to them both to try. "Renji, I—" Ichigo broke off in confusion as Renji turned and embraced him without a word.

Their blended energies spoke more eloquently than they ever could. Fear, anger, and uncertainty were shared between them, but underlying it all was a solid base of love and support that kept them from being swept away by despair. The rapid heartbeats and the tremors in both their bodies calmed as they held each other tightly.

"I'm so glad ya did that today." Renji touched the bandage on Ichigo's arm as he pulled back. "Thinkin' 'bout what ya said, what ya meant – that got me through that meetin'. Right now we all got t' remember we ain't fightin' alone."

Ichigo nodded. "Whatever it takes, whatever you need me to do."

"Just keep doin' what you're doin', an' together we'll flatten 'em all." They wrapped their arms around each other again, resting their heads comfortably on each others' shoulders. Renji was right, of course. It had always been that way between them – anything was possible as long as they stuck together.

Ichigo felt calmer now, but there was still one thing worrying at him deep inside. Sometime he would have to go back, and leave everyone here to fight alone again. He'd planned to stay until the conflict was resolved, but now…

The disturbance in Ichigo's energy must have given away his thoughts. Renji spoke softly in his ear. "An' ya know, Ichigo, when ya gotta go back, you'll have somethin' solid t' remind ya."

Relief swept through Ichigo as Renji verbalized the confusion that had unsettled him. "I guess, once everything is under control here, since it's not gonna change… Eventually I'll hafta go back," Ichigo said reluctantly.

"An' I'll miss ya like I'd miss an arm. But we'll still have each other, an' beside that nothin' else matters." The kiss they shared was heartfelt, soothing away their worries and lightening their shared mood as they reminded each other what was really important.

Their interlude was unfortunately brief; they felt the approach of a couple of high level shinigami, and they broke apart with twin sighs.

"An' it was just gettin' good, too," Renji grumbled good-naturedly.

"Try'n hold that thought 'til later," Ichigo grinned. "You're the one who decided to do this here."

Renji grinned back. "Remind me next time not t' do somethin' so dumb, then."

They left the private office to meet the visitors in the main hall. Shuuhei and Kira were soon followed by other friends and officers as the word spread around Seireitei. The impromptu gathering was informal but serious as the sober reality of the situation was dissected and discussed for hours.

§

When the meeting broke up, only Rukia remained in the hall with them. Renji was looking forward to going home and showing Ichigo just how much he loved his new decoration, but Rukia stopped them before they could head out.

"Before you go, could I see you both in the office? It'll only take a minute."

Renji exchanged a curious glance with Ichigo before following their friend to her desk. "What's this about, Rukia?"

Rukia pulled a small, flat package out of her desk and handed it to them with a smile. "This was done months ago, but with everything that's been going on, it kept getting pushed aside."

"What is it?" He examined the back of the package while Ichigo inspected the front.

"Open it and find out!" she said eagerly.

"I think we're in trouble," Ichigo stage whispered as they began unwinding the cloth. "She's got that 'sparkly' look in her eyes again!"

Renji chuckled. "Maybe it's blackmail?"

"Have we done anythin' lately that's worthy of blackmail?"

"Nope, an' that's a real shame…" he trailed off as the final layer of cloth fell away. "Rukia, what…?"

Nestled inside protective layers of soft material were two framed photographs. They were identical, and though he'd never seen them before, Renji immediately recognized their setting. He ran one finger down over the image of Ichigo and himself standing close together in front of the portal that had sent Ichigo back to the living world at the end of the summer.

We look good together. He smiled.

"I know you don't have any pictures together, and I wanted you both to have something," Rukia explained. "I was going to send one to you after you left, Ichigo, for your wall, but you came back so soon I decided to save it for another time."

"But… we were all there together that day, how'd ya do this?" Renji asked, tearing his eyes off the photograph to look inquisitively at his oldest friend.

"Ah…" Rukia wore a guilty little grin. "I borrowed Nanao's camera, and asked Yumichika to take the picture while I made sure you two were distracted."

"Yumichika did this?" Ichigo's eyebrows rose.

"He was so happy to be asked to help, and you have to admit," Rukia gave them a crooked smile, "he's got an eye for beauty."

Renji snorted a laugh at the tired joke. "Bet ya anythin' he arm twisted Shuuhei t' help."

"No bet," Ichigo grinned. "Yumichika's got the same sparkly eyes she does," he pointed at Rukia. "You just can't win against those."

"Rukia, these're great," Renji stooped to accept their petite friend's hug. "Thanks."

She gave Ichigo the same back-stretching embrace. "I'm glad you like them." Rukia smiled and wished them a good night before leaving them alone in the office.

Renji dropped his gaze to the photograph again. "Some sneaky friends we got."

Ichigo peered over Renji's shoulder, one arm slipping comfortably around his waist. "I'm glad, these are terrific." Their reiatsu tingled pleasantly, the excitement they'd stifled earlier quickly returning. "Maybe I should take lessons," he continued. "I had no idea they were there."

"We could practice bein' sneaky, too."

"How?"

Renji turned to grin at his lover. "Well I still haven't shown ya my appreciation yet," he touched Ichigo's bandaged arm.

Ichigo flashed across the room to lock the office door.

§

Omake
Chapter 13 omake

Renji: That's just too damn cool. stares at Ichigo's tattoo gleefully

Ichigo: I appreciate that you like it, but can I have my arm back?

Akuni: Hehe!